Flexible bellows ice maker



Oct. 8, 1968 v. J. DIBLICK 3,404,543

FLEXIBLE BELLOWS ICE MAKER Original Filed June '11, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. VER/VO/V .1. 42/51 /CK Oct. 8, 1968 v. J, maLlcK 3,404,543

FLEXIBLE BELLOWS ICE MAKER Original Filed June 11, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f g? 6 I 7 PUMP Q 5 62 k j PUMP 63 United States Patent 4 Claims. (Cl. 62-344) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention is directed to a machine for making crushed or flaked ice wherein a flexible bellows is used and the lower portions of the bellows are coated with a material permitting ready removal of the ice.

This application is a continuation of Us. Set. 463,080, filed June 11, 1965, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to a machine for making ice, particularly of the crushed or flaked variety.

A primary object of my invention is to provide an icemaking machine which has as its most important component a flexible evaporator member more especially in the form of a corrugated, metallic bellows structure.

Another object of my invention is to provide a liquid freezing apparatus, employing a liquid storage chamber, an internal evaporator in said storage chamber and means for removing frozen liquid from the surface of such evaporator.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an evaporator of flexible, thin-wall construction with corrugations forming a typical bellows configuration, increasing thereby the interior area of the evaporator and the heat transfer efliciency.

Another object of my invention is to provide an icemaking device which is useful in the rapid and repeated making of crushed ice, as for example in soft drink vending machines, at soda fountains and restaurants.

These and other features and advantages of my invention will become apparent to those skilled in this particular art from the following detailed disclosure thereof and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of the icemaking device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view through the corrugated evaporator of my invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is another embodiment of the present devices; and

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates another form of bellows for use herewith.

Reference should next be had to the drawings in which like numerals are used throughout:

The principal element of my invention is a cylindrical, metallic, corrugated member 11 on which the ice is formed. Such corrugated member acts as bellows and is formed in a preferably cylindrical form with corrugations disposed uniformly parallel on its circumference; however, other for-ms of corrugations are possible and one of them is shown in FIG. 6, where corrugations shown are formed in a continuous spiral.

Such cylinder is fabricated of various metals, preferably of stainless steel, and it is on the external surface thereof that ice is caused to form. The space in between the corrugations 14 are filled with a material 15 such as silicone rubber or the like with the larger diameter corrugations left uncoated on top surface to provide greater heat transfer in that area.

The cylinder is closed at its upper end 12 and open at its bottom end 13. Internally of the corrugated cylinder 11 is a perforated metal cylinder 16, which acts as guide for the member 11 and also as stop means to prevent the corrugated cylinder from collapsing.

The member 11 is placed in a housing 17 on top of which is a small electric motor 18. The housing has an opening 39 therein for ice removal. Extending downwardly from the motor 18 is a motor shaft 19 which fits into a bushing 20. The shaft extends through such bushing 20 into an eccentric bushing 21 which at its other end encircles the stub member 22 extending upwardly from the corrugated member 11.

There is also provided a base plate 23 boltably mounted by flanges 24 to the casing 17. I provide a port 25 in the outer case by which water is fed into the area between the casing and the iceforming device 11.

Feeding into and out of the ice forming member are refrigerant inlet and outlet tubes 26 and 27, respectively.

Before proceeding further with a description of the other structures comprising my device, one should first consider its operation. Water is fed through port 26 into the area of the casing surrounding the icemaking member to a level just below the lower lip of the ice exit port 39. The icemaking member 11 is therefore substantially surrounded by water. Concurrently therewith refrigerant gas, from the compressor 51, is passed through the inlet port 26 into the interior of the corrugated member 11 and after going through the expansion cycle the refrigerant gas is pumped out by the compressor 51 through the outlet 27. Meanwhile, a coating of ice forms on the outer surface of the corrugated member 11. After snflicient thickness of ice has been formed, the motor is started which causes the rotation of shaft 19. This imparts radial movement to the eccentric bushing 21 which in turn imparts gyr-ating movement to member 11 through the stub 22. This movement causes the bellows 11 to flex sufficiently to crack the ice coating formed on the surface. In this action assistance is given by the paddles 28, connected to the motor shaft 19, and placed close to the surface of bellows 11, which permits the paddles to come into an intimate contact with the forming ice, and subsequently helps in cracking it off. The rotating motion of the paddles 28 picks up the cracked ice and feeds it up a ramp 30 formed on the inside of the casing 17 and out through the exit port 39.

The paddles 28 are united with the shaft 29 by means of a paddle cage formed of upper and lower cage members 31 and 32 respectively.

I also include an upper plate 33 and a disc spacer 34 to complete the device.

In the foregoing embodiment of my device the paddles 28 move with the stub member 22. In another embodiment hereof I insert a cutout clutch which permits the eccentric bushing-stub to first coact and thereby crack the ice after which the paddle drive becomes actuated to assist in ice removal from the port 39. This is an advantage in that if for one reason or another the ice tends to freeze and lock the paddle members that rotation can still be had to crack the ice to commence ice removal.

As described above, fiexure is caused in the bellows by means of the stub and eccentric bushing. In still another embodiment hereof which is permitted by the utilization of the bellows I can employ high pressure refrigerant input to cause modest expansion of the bellows and thereby remove the ice therefrom. In this particular embodiment one need not employ the eccentric bushing and the motor is used instead of the eccentric bushing to merely now function as a stop meansfor the stub and bellows.

An embodiment hereof is illustrated in the diagram FIG. 4, wherein high pressure gas from the compressor by-passes the expansion valve 52 by means of a valve 53 and applied full high pressure to the evaporator: simultaneously a valve 54 closes on the suction side. Valves 54 and 53 are controlled by timer 55. The high pressure gas now enters the closed chamber and expands instantly causing the evaporator to expand also and crack the ice coating on the outer surface. This action is instantaneous and the refrigeration cycle continues upon the opening of valve 54 and 53 closing of valve 53.

This method makes use of the energy of compressed gas as a source of motive force besides performing a normal refrigeration function.

An alternate method shown in a diagram FIG. makes use of the atmospheric pressure as the motive force by passing of high pressure refrigerant gas from the compressor through the expansion valve 61, controlled by timer 62, into the evaporator 64 and through the return suction line 63 back to the compressor. By closing valve 61 refrigerant flow to the evaporator 11 is stopped and the compressor evacuates the evaporator 64 causing the atmospheric pressure to collapse the evaporator and cracking the ice formed on the evaporator.

It will be understood that various modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the spirit or scope of the novel concepts of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. An icemaking machine comprising in combination: a bellows evaporator member, said bellows evaporator member having the spaces between the corrugation thereof filled with a rubber-like material; means for applying liquid to be frozen to the external face of said bellows member; means in said bellows for cooling the interior thereof to below the freezing point of said liquid; positive, intermittent bellows flexing means to remove ice from the outer side of said bellows, said intermittent means operating on a predetermined cycle and means of collecting the ice removed from said bellows.

2. The device defined in claim 1 whereinsaid intermittent bellows flexing means comprises an expanding gas.

3. The devices defined in claim 1 wherein said intermittent bellows flexing means comprises a cam.

4. The icemaking machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said bellows evaporator member is externally coated with a rubber-type material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,582,250 1/1952 Hershberg et al. 62-72 X 2,613,511 10/1952 Walsh 62-72 3,216,218 11/1965 Cornelius 62-347 X 3,255,606 6/1966 Hammer 62-353 X 3,290,895 12/1966 Schneider et al 62-354 X FOREIGN PATENTS 733,303 3/1943 Germany.

ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

W. E. WAYNER, Assistant Examiner. 

